when I went to say I could send the book I saw that they have a laundry list of RC's here are their RC's

UPDATE: please mark any package to me "Do Not Bend." My postal carrier has found great joy in cramming as much as possible into my small box, including accordion-folding some PBS books. I don't know if it will help, butï¿½Thank you!

I am an elementaryï¿½school librarian, looking for books to add to our school collection, or to give as incentives to students. Therefore, all requested children's books need to be in very good / gently read condition, with no strong odor (smoky, animal, etc.).

Please also verify that if your listing says "hardbound" that you send me a hardbound version.

Do the Title, Author, ISBN and Book Type match your book EXACTLY?

Occasionally, I do request a "grownup" book for myself ---- these need not be in as good condition as above, but please, no moldy, smoky books. Thanks!

I am a little worried about sending because even though the book is in awesome shape. no bends no creases no marks no odors.nothing wrong with it. I did buy it at a used book library sale. and it does have some price stickers on the front top corner from half price books. also i can't control what her postal carrier does to the book when putting it in her mailbox. from her RC's it sounds like he/she just shoves stuff in the mailbox without caring if it says do not bend on it or not. the book is a 46 page soft cover paperback that is easily bendable.

so my question is would you send or would you say too many RC's and decline.

i have the only copy posted in the system so any advice is greatly appreciated.

Most of her RCs are just restating PBS posting requirements, which some members feel is necessary based on their experiences with swappers unfamiliar with PBS' rules. The "very good/gently read" condition is pretty subjective -- how do we know what that means?

In the end, it is up to you what you are comfortable with. If you're not comfortable, then decline. If you do decline based on the RCs, however, you'll have to state a reason, and the sender will see that reason. A polite, constructive comment about why her RCs are difficult to meet could help her modify them to be more clear -- I know I've modified my own RCs based on that feedback.

Up to you, but if I had a book that I felt met the RC, I'd send it. I've never had a problem with an RC request.

I can sympathize about the 'no bending' thing. I had a postman who'd roll anything and everything he could into a tube and stuff it into our nested box. It would unroll and fill the space. But the back of the box he could get to didn't have the lip of the door, so my side was smaller than his side. I once had to tear apart the packaging of a paperback he'd managed to roll up with other things, just so I could pull out the wrapping piece by piece and get room enough to carefully pull out the book and other items.

It's a shame that members now have to have RCs which just re-state what PBS already states in their "swappable condition" rules.

All her RCs seem very reasonable to me. Maybe this member has gotten burned a few times, sure seems like it since none of her RCs are unreasonable.

I send to RCs all the time, I have never declined one in 4 years I don't think, and never had a problem.

The "Do not bend" request is really no different than asking a member to take the extra step to baggie-wrap during wet seasons. I would be happy to write that line on envelope if it helped the other member receive a book that is not warped by her postman. It doesn't require a lot of effort, does it? . :)

I send to all RCs that my book meets. I generally don't worry about how well it's written or if it's "too long" whatever that means. There is zero correlation between long RCs and picky members. Never has a single problem sending to someone with an RC.

She's just asking you to write "do not bend" on the package, not holding youvresponsible for what her mail carrier does. If anything, she is trying to hold him responsible.

I would have no problem sending the book. It sounds to me like they're mainly looking for something that will hold up to repeated readings; meaning, something that's not already worn. I don't think writing "do not bend" is unreasonable at all.

I would send but in addition I would place the book in a manila envelope and place a piece of cardboard on each side of the book, making sure, for my own piece of mind it would be very difficult to impossible to bend and still write Do Not Bend on it. I would PM the requester and tell her I took those measures. I think she would appreciate it.

I'd decline. It's too long, for one thing, and if her mailbox is too small to hold what she orders, then she needs to get a bigger mailbox or talk to her mail carrier about what to do with oversize items, not put the burden on to the sender.

I'm a bit frustrated so this is a bit of a rant. Just received my first RWAP message regarding a condition that was not even listed in the requesters RCs. Because I really do not want a fight, I just refunded the credit (and told the requester to just trash the book -- it is not worth sending back), but it has left a bad taste in my mouth. I guess my takeaway is that if I see any conditions from here on out placed on any books requested from me, I'll just kindly decline. I really don't have time for snobs nor crybabies. These are books -- not fine art nor antiques. I can understand not wanting "junk" or damaged books, but I think that the PBS club rules are pretty straightforward on what is acceptable and what is not. If I have some questionable book that is otherwise in high demand, I'll sell it elsewhere that has a better way to indicate condition. Ok... rant concluded...Original Poster -- I would RUN away from this request. It is not worth the trouble.

Eric, those notes apply to the title, not to your specific copy. So if you put a note that "book has lots of spine creases" the person requesting it most likely won't see it. If you have a book that you feel is questionable and is wish listed, you can list it for a credit on the Unpostable Wish List thread.

If the RC did not have listed what the person complained about, I would not have refunded the credit. I would have replied that whatever issue they had was not listed in the RC so I would not be refunding a credit. PBS can see what was on the RC when the book was requested.

Because I really do not want a fight, I just refunded the credit (and told the requester to just trash the book -- it is not worth sending back), but it has left a bad taste in my mouth.

Seriously, you don't have to fight about it. If you're sure that the book met PBS guidelines, and there was no RC from the receiver over the issue, you should stick to your guns and not refund on an RWAP.

You shouldn't feel like you're being held hostage to it. Just make sure to keep them to a minimum, and The Powers That Be can see that it's not something you're continuing to have a problem with sending books out. Just make sure you know all the Guidelines.

I've sent out a few books that I felt met RC's. I've sent out over 900 books, and have never had a RWAP listed as "Damaged by Sender". (I've only had one lost in the mail, and two 'damaged by USPS".) And the best "Thank You's" I've gotten were over RC books.

So an RC isn't an automatic problem. You can get a RWAP mark from anyone, whether they have a reason or not.

Just to make it clear...the RC on my latest transaction (that was RWAPed) only stated "I don't want former library books, or hardcovers without the dj." The ISBN clearly refers to a book is a paperback and it was listed as such. The book was in excellent condition, but, as stated, was paperback. The RWAP reason was "I wanted hardcover." So the problem was that the buyer made the request without reading the listing and seeing that the book was a paperback. Hello -- this is Paperback Swap. While there are certainly hardcovers, the majority of what is listed is paperback. I should have fought it.

This afternoon, I delisted the remainder of my books and will just donate them to charity and see if I can find a place to use the 4 PBS credits I have. If I could donate the credits somewhere I would as I plan to close my PBS account as soon as the credits are gone. I just will not support a site that condones scammers and their ilk.